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Avoid Home Business Mistakes
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Article 5: Technology Errors
In this age of e-mail, e-commerce and e-everything else, opportunities to make business mistakes have increased by enormous magnitude.
How many home-based business owners, for example, are IT experts or up to date on the relative merits of online data storage versus external SATA hard drives?
Here are some fundamental errors to avoid in the technical realm.
- Don’t become enamored by the latest gadgetry. As fascinating as these technological advances are, rest assured not every innovation is appropriate for your business. Even newfangled gadgets that may be appropriate for your business may not be the wisest use of your limited cash or your limited home office space. Internet video conferencing has an alluring appeal. But realistically, what does it add to your bottom line?
- On the other hand, don’t be afraid to adopt the newest technology to make your home business more efficient or economical. Online telephone services that piggyback on your broadband Internet connection can be a huge savings if you spend a lot of time on the phone or place a lot of long-distance calls.
- Computers have become utter necessities for nearly every home-based business. At the least they provide access to the Internet and the lifeline of e-mail. With prices dropping so dramatically in recent years, you can probably afford a computer capable of performing all sorts of amazing multimedia functions.
Don’t shy away from top-of-the-line capabilities just because there is a cheaper model available. Because prices are relatively low, consider upgrading your computer to accommodate the next generation of advancements, such as the fast-approaching broadband-video convergence. Better to think long term now than to buy on the cheap this year and be forced to upgrade again next year.
- Don’t buy more printer than you need. These appliances have become so economically priced and provide such high quality that the output of near bottom-of-the-line models will be virtually indistinguishable from top-end, mega-buck versions. It’s probably prudent for many home-based businesses to consolidate expenses by getting a good all-in-one printer, fax, copier and telephone answering machine.
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